Why do people lie?
Lies aren’t pretty. They are never helpful or useful, except to those who want to hide from something or someone, those with a deceitful heart, a hidden agenda, those motivated by fear…
God hates lies and uses very strong language to explain this in His Word. He said a person who lies is hiding hatred, jealousy, or pride in their heart and they are wrongly self-confident, Proverbs 10:18, AMP. Lies are abhorrent, detestable, extremely disgusting to God, Proverbs 12:22, AMP.
A lie is a lie.
A half-truth is a full lie.
A lie to protect someone’s feelings is a lie.
A lie to avoid confrontation is a lie.
A little white lie–whatever manipulative and deceitful thing a person means when they say, “white lie,” is still a big, fat, ugly, dishonest, and dark black lie.
Withholding some of the information, is a lie.
Withholding a lot of information, is a lie.
Creating a false impression, or allowing one to continue, is a lie.
Flattering words without truth are lies, nothing but deceit, Psalm 12:2.
Ultimately, lies are a defense mechanism to protect a person from embarrassment or punishment, to control or manipulate, to gain power over another person, to shift blame, to evade responsibility.
Jesus had some pretty strong words for people with the habit of lying, For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies, John 8:44, NIV.
Whoa… Someone who chooses to lie is choosing the devil as their father, they belong to him. And… lying is consistent with the devils character. These are Jesus’ words. This is a big red flag for us. We should be very wary of people who lie.
Behold, You (God) desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom, Psalm 51:6, NKJV.
God wants us to live with good Godly character.
For a person who lives with a true heart, it’s completely unnecessary to lie. It’s just not in them.
A person with a true heart lives by God’s truth, completely honest before Him. They have given up their need to be right and their need for self-defending, attention-seeking, self-promoting, self-gratifying, or power-grabbing-ego-boosting. They simply live right before God, trusting Him, and that is enough.
There is simply no need to lie.
Truth is an expression of our love.
Let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), Ephesians 4:15, AMP.
God loves truth. He is the God of Truth, Psalm 31:5.
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